A legislative reform bill proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday aims to revive an attempt to merge the military’s four arsenals with the Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
The legislation aims to amend Article 7 and Item 1, Article 33 of the Act for the Establishment of the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (國家中山科學研究院設置條例).
As there is no legal basis for the institute to merge, or not merge with other units, the bill aims to amend the act to allow the institute to merge with other institutions to further national defense research and development, as well as to increase its manufacturing and maintenance capabilities.
A successful review of the bill, scheduled for Tuesday next week, would increase the chances of the amendments being passed in the current legislative session, ministry officials said.
With three to six months of preparation, the merger could be completed by the end of this year, they said.
The 202nd Arsenal manufactures mortars; the 205th Arsenal makes rifles and pistols; the 209th Arsenal builds armored vehicles; and the 401st Arsenal fabricates photonic equipment.
In preparation for the merger, Material Production and Manufacturing Center Commander Major General Luo Yi-chung (羅意中) has tendered his resignation and is to be hired by the institute, the ministry said.
The center and four arsenals have a total of about 3,000 employees, including military personnel, civil servants and contractors, it said.
The merger would take into consideration the rights of all those involved, the ministry said, adding that the institute would take over all assets and debts.
In related news, the nation’s embassy in Eswatini yesterday posted a video on Twitter of a ceremony in which Taiwan gifted the African ally two UH-1H helicopters, commemorating their strong ties.
The UH-1H is being phased out by the army, which said that it would keep six of the helicopters after transferring two to Eswatini.
The ceremony, held on Friday last week, was attended by King Mswati III, Swazi National Chief Defense Officer Prince Hlangusempi and Brigadier General Jeffry Tshabalala, as well as Ambassador to Eswatini Jeremy Liang (樑洪昇) and Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群).
King Mswati thanked Taiwan for its long-term assistance, saying that the two helicopters would be deployed to Eswatini’s borders or in humanitarian relief missions, the embassy said.
The king also reaffirmed Eswatini’s support for Taiwan’s participation in UN-related activities.
Additional reporting by Peng Wan-hsin
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we